The Flame Tree of Discord

The Flame Tree of Discord / Regina Coyula

Regina Coyula, 3 October 2016 — A powerful flamboyán tree, in English
often called a flame tree, dominates the entrance to my house, more
beautiful at this time of year with its explosion of fire, which also
provides shade and spreads its colorful petals across the ground.

But two of my neighbors don't see it that way; they dislike the
dirtiness of it and feel obliged to sweep the sidewalk almost every day.
And they protest greatly, but I never feel it's about me, even though
the other day they were gossiping and not imagining that I could hear
them, one of them said, "I'm breaking my back over that filth, and 'la
Señora' (a marked edginess in señora), who owns the bush acts like it's
nothing."

I am not the owner of the flame tree, I didn't plant it, it is in the
parking strip and it is beautiful; and the señora sounded very nice
coming from one trying to mark a difference between us. And so, without
reaching for her style — inimitable for me as I am neither volatile nor
rude — to her surprise I told that that the flame tree isn't mine, but
the red flowers that line the sidewalk don't bother me at all, unlike
the bags, cans, boxes and other trash that lines the city, product of
indolent humans.

Source: The Flame Tree of Discord / Regina Coyula – Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/the-flame-tree-of-discord-regina-coyula/